Italian Week 2010 an Italian Government project produced by Alessandro Sorbello -Celebrating the Festa della Republicca - Italian National Day. This is the official Italian Festival for Brisbane Australia

Tours of Tuscany

Join this small group tour and immerse yourself in the current of sensation for a week of food, wine and culture in Tuscany.

Wednesday, August 19, 2009

Italian Week at B150

Italian Week will be present at the upcoming celebrations of Brisbane on the 6th of September. Our sponsors Di Bella Coffee and Dolci Sapori will once again support us as we run one of the food stands - come visit us at 'Tastes of Italy' and try some great Italian Food and coffee.

All proceeds from Sales of Di Bella Coffee go directly to Italian Week. Thanks to Phillip Di Bella for the support once again.

MESSAGE FROM LORD MAYOR CAMPBELL NEWMAN

I am writing to invite you to celebrate an important date in the history of our city.

On September 6 150 years ago, Brisbane was declared a municipality and gained the power to carve its future and shape its own identity.

Sesquicentenaries do not come around too often, that is why on this major anniversary I want the whole of Brisbane to celebrate.

Come Celebrate will be a free outdoor party for families, friends, the young and the old across 2km of South Bank Parklands, City Botanic Gardens and the Goodwill Bridge.

Cultural performances, food stalls, a music stage, sports celebrities, history storyboards, dancers, 19th century actors, prize draws and a passionate debate pitting northsiders against southsiders will make this a great day out.

Festivities will kick off at 9.30am and run till 3pm, but live music acts will continue at the Riverstage until after 8pm.

I hope this will be an occasion for people to come together, think about our history and recognise the many achievements that have shaped us into the great city we are today.

In 1859, Brisbane residents took the future of our city into their own hands, successfully petitioning the Government of New South Wales for independence.

On that same day in 2009, I’m asking today’s Brisbane people to help make Come Celebrate a significant and unforgettable day.

See you there.Campbell NewmanLord Mayor

OVERVIEWThree iconic Brisbane landmarks – City Botanic Gardens, Goodwill Bridge and South Bank Parklands – will spring to life on Sunday 6 September for the city’s 150th anniversary party.

More than 2km of free festivities will be on offer for patrons to enjoy themselves at the free Come Celebrate event.

An exciting array of entertainment, art, sport, music, theatre and delicious food will ensure there is something for everyone’s taste on the first weekend in Spring.

Following an Indigenous welcome to country, Brisbane’s Lord Mayor Campbell Newman will officially open the event followed by a welcome from the Governor of Queensland, Ms Penelope Wensley AO at 10am.

At 11am the Goodwill Bridge will become a huge public square with a fiery celebrity debate on whether it is better to live on the Northside or Southside of Brisbane, hosted by Channel Nine’s Andrew Lofthouse.

Music will entertain from four stages throughout the day:The Riverstage will host an emblematic Brisbane concert showcasing the formation of Brisbane’s music culture. This concert will offer entertainment from Brisbane’s rising stars along with well known bands creating a playground of musical richness. Intercooler, The Gin Club and leading act The Cat Empire are not to be missed performances.

The Gardens of Origin stage at the entry to the Botanic Gardens will provide visitors with a glimpse into Brisbane’s history with a trip down memory lane featuring historical storyboards, penny farthing bicycles and re-enactments of historical events. A multicultural concert will also showcase Brisbane’s international heritage and local Indigenous artists will perform traditional songs and dances.

South Bank’s Rainforest Green Space will host the Arts on the Green series of concerts and feature a cultural banquet from an eclectic group of Brisbane’s best local talent including writers, local choirs and singers.

The Suncorp Piazza in the middle of South Bank will echo to the large and loud sounds of Brisbane’s best bands. A rolling program from big bands and more than 100 barbershop singers will keep the audience toe-tapping.

Sports fans can meet their heroes and enjoy all that is sporty at Sports Central. Stars from football, swimming, netball, surf lifesaving, hockey and other sports will be signing autographs, chatting with fans and posing for photos while enjoying Brisbane’s special day on Picnic Island at South Bank.

Celebrating Brisbane’s multicultural makeup, there will be a cornucopia of exotic food and drinks from a wide variety of international mini restaurants and outlets spread through out the Gardens and South Bank. Choose from a Burmese special rice dish, Pacific Islander fish, an African meat speciality or a Cambodian curry and finish with Austrian pastries –or be adventurous and try every thing on offer!

This will be a day to remember. So bring the family and grab your friends to come celebrate Brisbane’s 150th birthday in true Brissie style at the Botanic Gardens and South Bank on Sunday 6 September.

SPORTS CENTRALPicnic Island, South Bank Parklands 11.30am – 2pm

Brisbane has a long history of producing sporting greats so here is your chance to get up close and personal with your favourite sporting personalities.

Mingle with athletic heroes from football, hockey, netball, cricket, soccer, Olympic and Commonwealth Games at Come Celebrate as well as stars of Channel 9’s The Shak.

The Queensland Firebirds are Queensland’s elite netball team playing in the Trans-Tasman competition, the ANZ Championship and will be looking forward to celebrating the city’s 150th birthday and catching up with their many fans.

Coached by local hero and netball legend, Vicki Wilson, the team train and play home games in Brisbane and have been one of Brisbane’s most successful teams.

Grab an autograph from Netty’s Australian superstars, captain Peta Stephens, Clare McMeniman and Janelle Lawson and pose for a pic with their Firebirds’ team mates before feasting on Brisbane’s biggest barbecue.

More than 1000 buns and sausages will be thrown on the barbie as Lions and Rotary prepare the city’s biggest ever sausage sizzle to raise money for charity.

GARDENS OF ORIGINCity Botanic Gardens 10am - 3pm

Brisbane is now an international melting pot with people from countries all around the world making Brisbane their new home. Our new citizens bring with them a wealth of entertainment, ethnic culture and exciting traditions.

Check out more than 20 song and dance performances that showcase this rich multicultural heritage at Come Celebrate, ranging from local Indigenous artists to Bollywood and Celtic dancing.

Zhiva Voda is just one act sprinkling an ethnic flavour on the Gardens with their performance of Bulgarian traditional music and song for Brisbane audiences.

Inspired by the beauty of their home land’s traditions, Reni Pavlova-Bojilov and George Gaydov join with Australian-born Ann Bermingham to create soaring solos, spine-tingling harmonies and virtuosic instrumentals, underpinned by exciting rhythms, and universal stories of love, longing and everyday life. Since forming in 2002, Zhiva Voda’s performance honours the authentic music of Bulgaria, while also celebrating its continuing life and relevance in 21st century Brisbane.

Celebrate Brisbane’s diverse cultures and check out songs and dances you may never have experienced before from the city’s multicultural residents at the Gardens.

Among the swaying palms of Rainforest Green, enjoy the best of our city’s vibrant and diverse arts scene with some of Brisbane’s leading performance groups, including the Brisbane Writers Show.

The cultural stage brings Brisbane’s literature to life in a highly entertaining theatrical creation using poetry, song and prose. Brisbane Writers Show tells the fascinating story of Brisbane as captured in the words of its great writers- Steele Rudd, David Malouf, Oodgeroo Noonuccal, Thea Astley, Hugh Lunn and more!

From the convicts’ lament ‘The Ballad of Moreton Bay’ to Estelle Pinney’s pair of likely lasses during World War II on the lookout for Yanks, Brisbane Writers Show is a masterly mix of moods, genres and character transformations.

Brisbane Writers Show is presented by Playabout Productions, the brainchild of award-winning actors, Therese Collie and Tim Mullooly.

Add this performance on the Come Celebrate to-do list for anyone with a love of literature and live theatre.

BRISBANE MUSIC STAGERiverstage 11am - 8pm

Nine hours of an eclectic program of music will pump across the Riverstage soundwaves at Come Celebrate, culminating in a one-hour set from one of Australia’s most popular bands – The Cat Empire.

Just after stepping off the plane direct from their European tour, The CatEmpire has announced they will be playing a special show for their Brisbane fans at The Brisbane River stage on 6 September.

The Empire have been dying to get back to Brisbane audiences and jumped at the chance to head the celebrations for Brisbane’s 150th anniversary at the Riverstage, which the band packed out for their 2008 concert.

The Cat Empire’s European Summer tour saw them play sold out shows through the UK, Germany, Switzerland, Austria, Holland and France for the European release of LIVE ON EARTH, their live double album which was released in Australia earlier this year. Their Empire continues to grow overseas, with the tour sold out to massive crowds six weeks in advance of the bands arrival.

The band will return to their native Melbourne later this year to focus on writing material for a new album, to be released in 2010.

Don’t miss this rare opportunity to see one of the country’s best bands perform for free at Come Celebrate on 6 September.

MEET IN THE MIDDLEGoodwill Bridge 11am

Where do you prefer to watch the footy – Suncorp or the Gabba?Is the steak and beer tastier at the Story Bridge or the Brekky Creek Hotel? Are the leafy surrounds of New Farm Park or Captain Burke Park the better place to spend a lazy Sunday afternoon?

These and other not so serious but all consuming life decisions will be argued in a heated debate over whether it is better to live on the north or southside of Brisbane’s river. Channel Nine’s Andrew Lofthouse will chair the debate as we find out which side of Brisbane reigns supreme.

Everyone attending Come Celebrate can enter a competition to win a fantastic Brisbane based tourist package for four people, including one night’s accommodation at the Hilton, dinner at award-winning E’cco Bistro and discounted tickets to tours and attractions across the city. Check out how you can win on our website: ourbrisbane.com/brisbane150

LOUD AND LARGESuncorp Piazza, South Bank Parklands 10.30am – 3pm

Suncorp Piazza will come alive with the brass and drums of Brisbane’s best military bands and the harmonised voices of one of Brisbane’s biggest barbershop troupes.

Since Expo ’88, big bands and barbershop have been favourites at Brisbane events, injecting their very own flair and big personalities into all your favourite tunes.

Make sure you are at Suncorp Piazza to enjoy a rolling program of our best bands and to hear Brisbane’s 100-strong barbershop chorus ‘The Sunshiners’ perform a special tribute for Brisbane audiences as part of Come Celebrate.

Italian Week by Year

Proudly supporting Hear and Say

Our aim is to help all children to hear, listen and speak so they can attend a regular school, have wider career choices and can more fully participate in their community. Hear and Say interfaces state-of-the-art hearing technology (digital hearing aids and implantable technology such as cochlear implants) with the Auditory-Verbal Therapy approach. We are committed to using clinical research to measure outcomes.

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About Me

Born in Milano and raised in Australia, Alessandro has spent extensive time living and working in Italy and is the Executive Producer of the Official Italian Week festival in Queensland, an Initiative of the Italian Consulate.